Difficult Words In The King James Version

Words have their histories, like men. Like them, they live and die. A word that meant one thing may, hundreds of years afterwards, mean something very differ­ent. A word may, at last, cease to be used at all. In the King James Version (that first appeared in 1611) there are many words that now, after the lapse of almost 400 years, have changed their meanings or have altogether gone out of common use. Others have somewhat changed their meanings. The following are some old-fashioned and difficult words to be found in the King James Version, with their present-day meaning:

  • “Abomination”: An object that is disgusting or contemptible, par­ticularly an idol.
  • “Acquit”: To hold guiltless.
  • “Ague”: A fever.
  • “Alleluia”: Praise the LORD!
  • “Ambassage”: The same word is translated “message” in Luke 19:14.
  • “Apothecary”: One who makes perfumes or ointments.
  • “Asswaged”: Sank down, subsided.
  • “Astonied”: Astonished, or sur­prised.
  • “Audience”: The Hebrew word means the ear. Abraham spoke in the ear of the children of Heth; we might say “in the hearing of”. “To give audience” means to listen.
  • “Barbarian”: An alien or foreigner.
  • “Barbarous”: Foreign.
  • “Baser”: “Certain lewd fellows of the baser sort” (Acts 17:5); that is, wicked men who hung about the market place; vile men of the rabble.
  • “Bewrayeth”: Betrays.
  • “Bishoprick”: Guardianship; the office of a bishop, or overseer.
  • “Breeches”: Pants, or trousers.
  • “Brutish”: Stupid.
  • “Buffet”: To strike with a clenched fist.
  • “By and by”: At once, immedi­ately.
  • “Carriage”: That which is carried: baggage. We now say luggage.
  • “Casement”: Window.
  • “Chapiter”: The head or top of a column.
  • “Charger”: Dish, bowl, or plate in the OT (Num. 7), where silver “chargers” are mentioned. But in the NT (Matt. 14; Mark 6) the Greek word “pinax” means platter
  • “To be at charges”: To be respon­sible for paying.
  • “Cleanness of teeth”: Famine.
  • “Cockle”: A weed resembling wheat (Job 31:40).
  • “Contemn”: To despise or mock.
  • “Convert”: To turn again.
  • “Coulter”: Iron agricultural tool.
  • “Dam”: A mother.
  • “Divers”: Diverse, different, or varied.
  • “Effectual”: Effective.
  • “Emerods”: Tumors; hemor­rhoids.
  • “Ensample”: Example.
  • “Ensue”: Pursue (1 Pet. 3:11).
  • “Eschew”: Avoid; turn aside.
  • “Espy”: See, behold.
  • “Exactor”: Overseer.
  • “Fain”: Gladly.
  • “Fens”: Marshes (Job 40:21).
  • “Fetch a compass”: To make a cir­cuit.
  • “Fillets”: Curtain rods placed be­tween columns (Exod. 27:10).
  • “Fitches”: A kind of grain.
  • “Flagon”: Bottle; vessel.
  • “Fuller”: Launderer; one who washes clothes.
  • “Garner”: Granary, barn.
  • “Gin”: Snare or noose.
  • “Graven”: Engraved.
  • “Grisled”: Spotted or speckled.
  • “Hart”: Deer.
  • “Hireling”: A day laborer, or con­tract laborer.
  • “Hoary”: White.
  • “Incontinent”: Unbridled; uncon­trollable.
  • “Inditing”: Overflowing, boiling over.
  • “Inordinate”: Without restraint; immoderate.
  • “Instant”: Insistent, steadfast, ur­gent.
  • “Jot, Yod”: The smallest Hebrew letter. Equivalent to “iota” in the Greek. Both correspond roughly to the English letter “I”, but the “yod” is often transliterated “J” in our Bible. The names Jerusalem, Jesus, Isaac, Isaiah, Judah, Israel, John, James, Jacob, etc., all began with this letter.
  • “Kine”: Cows, cattle. •
    “Knop”: An old way of writing “knob”. In connection with the tabernacle, the knops were carved imitations of the buds of flowers.
  • “Lade”: Burden, load.
  • “Latchet”: The thong attaching the sandal to the foot.
  • “Laver”: Washbasin.
  • “Lees”: Sediment.
  • “Let”: In a few passages only, it means ‘hindered’ (Exod. 5:4; Isa. 43:13; Rom. 1:13; 2 Thes. 2:7).
  • “Lewdness”: Villainy, wickedness, crime.
  • “Liketh”: Pleases.
  • “Listeth”: Chooses.
  • “Lively”: Living.
  • “Lucre”: Gain.
  • “Mansion”: Abiding place.
  • “Mattock”: Hoe; spade.
  • “Maul”: A club (Prov. 25:18).
  • “Meat”: Food of any kind. In the RV the words “meal offering” have been substituted for meat offering. This expresses the sense better.
  • “Meet”: Sometimes this means: agreeable, fit, proper.
  • “Mess”: Portion. (Soldiers were once — and still? — served meals at the “mess hall”.)
  • “Mete”: To measure.
  • “Meteyard”: The English means to measure by the yard, or a yard measure. The Hebrew (Lev. 19:35) is best translated by the word “mea­sure” only.
  • “Minish”: Diminish.
  • “Minister”: Servant.
  • “Mite”: A very small coin.
  • “Mote”: A minute particle of dust; a speck (Matt. 7:3).
  • “Mufflers”: Veils (Isa. 3:19).
  • “Murrain”: Pestilence, plague.
  • “Necromancer”: One who inquires of the dead, a “medium”.
  • “Neesings”: Sneezing (Job 41:18).
  • “Nether”: Lower.
  • “Nethermost”: Lowest.
  • “Not a whit”: Not the least bit.
  • “Occupy”: To do business, to trade.
  • “Occupiers”: Traders.
  • “Offence”: In many places, a stum­bling block, “skandalon” (the origi­nal of our word “scandal”).
  • “Offscouring”: Scum; filth.
  • “Ouches”: Sockets; settings for gems.
  • “Overlived”: Outlived.
  • “Paps”: Breasts.
  • “Paramours”: Lovers.
  • “Peradventure”: Perhaps; it may be.
  • “Pilled”: Peeled, or stripped of skin or bark.
  • “Poll”: To cut hair.
  • “Potsherd”: A piece of broken pot­tery.
  • “Pottage”: That which is prepared in a pot.
  • “Prating”: Babbling, chattering.
  • “Presbytery”: An assembly of el­ders.
  • “Presently”: In the present moment; now.
  • “Printed”: Engraved, “inscribed” (RV).
  • “Privy”: Aware of (sometimes).
  • “Proper”: Goodly, comely.
  • “Proselyte”: “One who has come to”, therefore a convert to Judaism.
  • “Provender”: Food for livestock or cattle.
  • “Provoked”: Stirred up, stimulated, encouraged.
  • “Quick”: Alive.
  • “Quicken”: To make alive.
  • “Quit”: Behave, act.
  • “Ranges”: Ranks in 2 Kings 11:8.
  • “Rank”: Fat in Genesis 41:5-7.
  • “Ravin”: Plunder.
  • “Reins”: The kidneys, regarded as the seat of joy, pain, etc.
  • “Reprobate”: Refuse.
  • “Rereward”: Towards the rear; rear guard.
  • “Ringstraked”: Streaked with rings.
  • “Riotous”: Gluttonous.
  • “Satyr”: Male goat.
  • “Scall”: An eruption on the head or face.
  • “Scrabbled”: Scrawled, or scratched (1 Sam. 21:13).
  • “Scrip”: A small bag or wallet.
  • “Seethe”: To boil.
  • “Sherd”: A shred, potsherd, or bro­ken piece of pottery.
  • “Silverlings”: Pieces of silver.
  • “Sith”: Since.
  • “Sleight”: Trickery, deceit.
  • “Slow bellies”: Idle gluttons.
  • “Sod, sodden”: Boil, boiled.
  • “Sottish”: Foolish.
  • “Staggered”: “Wavered” (RV).
  • “Stomacher”: Robe (Isa. 3:24).
  • “Strawed”: Strewed, scattered.
  • “Surfeiting”: Intoxication, overin­dulgence.
  • “Taches”: Hooks, fasteners.
  • “Tables”: Writing tablets covered with wax.
  • “Tabret”: A small tambourine.
  • “Tell”: To number, count.
  • “Temperance”: Self-control.
  • “Tempt”: To test, try, put to the proof.
  • “Tetrarch”: Ruler over a fourth part.
  • “Thought”: “Anxiety” in Matthew 6:25.
  • “Tire”: Turban; head ornament.
  • “Tired”: Adorned with a turban or headdress; attired.
  • “Tittle”: The very small mark or “point” added to one Hebrew letter to distinguish it from another.
  • “Torment”: To torture.
  • “Trow”: To think, imagine.
  • “Trump”: Trumpet.
  • “Twain”: An old form from the Anglo-Saxon “twegen”, meaning “two”; hence the Scotch “twa”, and the English “twainty” or twenty.
  • “Unction”: Anointing.
  • “Unperfect”: Imperfect.
  • “Untoward”: Not toward; that is, inclined in the opposite direction.
  • “Utter”: Outer (sometimes).
  • “Vagabond”: A wanderer.
  • “Vile”: Worthless.
  • “Ward”: Prison; custody.
  • “Ware”: Aware.
  • “Wax”: Grow, increase.
  • “Wen”: A running sore.
  • “Whet”: Sharpen.
  • “Whit”: A little bit, a small particle. “Every whit”, wholly. “Not a whit”, not at all.
  • “Wilily”: Craftily.
  • “Wimples”: Cloaks (Isa. 3:22).
  • “Wise”: Way. “On this wise”, in this way.
  • “Wist”: Knew.
  • “Wit”: To know.
  • “Withs”: Cords, ropes (Judg. 16).
  • “Wot”: Knew.
  • “Wroth”: Angry, wrathful.
    “Yokefellow”: Fellow-laborer.